The University of Minnesota Duluth volleyball team closed out the Royce Cappis Invitational with a pair of sweeps Saturday at Massari Arena in Pueblo, Colo., defeating Adelphi 3-0 (26-24, 25-8, 25-18) and Florida Tech 3-0 (25-12, 25-15, 25-17).
The Bulldogs (7-1, 0-0 NSIC) have now won nine consecutive sets after sweeping CSU-Pueblo, Adelphi and Florida Tech following their lone loss of the season to Fort Lewis in the tournament opener.
Senior Madeline Guetzkow and sophomore Brietta Tims combined for 44 of UMD's 91 kills Saturday, while junior setter Ava Jones totaled 67 assists across the two matches. Guetzkow hit .385 with 23 kills, 18 digs and five block assists, while Tims hit .300 with 21 kills, six digs, three block assists and three service aces.
Junior Xada Johnson added 17 kills, senior Paige Decker recorded 13 kills and five block assists, and senior Madison Reed led the Bulldogs with 25 digs.
UMD outhit its opponents .344 to .071 and averaged 15.17 kills per set compared to 7.67 for its opponents over the two matches.
Match 2 vs. Florida Tech (2-5, 0-0)
Tims led all players with 12 kills as the Bulldogs capped the tournament with a sweep of Florida Tech. Johnson added nine kills, while Guetzkow finished with eight kills and 10 digs. Reed recorded a match-high 15 digs.
For the second consecutive match, UMD held its opponent below a .100 hitting percentage. The Panthers hit .080 as a team, while the Bulldogs hit .382, including a .478 clip in the opening set.
The first set featured eight ties and three lead changes before the Bulldogs took control. UMD led wire-to-wire in the second set and maintained the advantage after a 9-9 tie in the third to secure the sweep.
Match 1 vs. Adelphi (1-6, 0-0)
Guetzkow paced the Bulldogs offensively against Adelphi with 16 kills on .440 hitting. Tims added nine kills and two service aces, while Johnson hit .400 with eight kills.
UMD outhit the Panthers .320 to .064 and held advantages in kills (47-23), assists (36-20), service aces (8-2), digs (34-22) and total blocks (6.0-5.0).
The Bulldogs dominated the second set, hitting .483 with 14 kills and no attack errors. UMD jumped out to a 13-2 lead, fueled in part by a 7-0 run behind Reed's serving, and held Adelphi to just six additional points.
Guetzkow and Tims accounted for nine of UMD's 14 kills in the set, hitting .714 and .667, respectively. The Panthers hit -.156 with three kills, while the Bulldogs recorded 3.0 blocks and 11 digs.
UMD again jumped ahead early in the third set and never relinquished the lead, closing out the 25-18 victory and completing the sweep.
The Bulldogs open NSIC play Friday, Sept. 11, at the University of Mary at 6 p.m. before traveling to Minot State Saturday, Sept. 12, for a 2 p.m. conference match.
